With the media's obsession on Israel, it's challenging to see the country as anything besides a war zone. Ariel Sharon Park encourages us to think differently.

This park, built atop a 180-foot-tall garbage mountain, was the landfill for all of central Israel from the 1950s until almost 2000. As the landfill grew, noxious odors, toxic waste, and contaminated groundwater plagued the site.

This is where the story turns: one of Israel’s biggest environmental disasters became one of Israel’s greatest success stories. Israel closed the landfill and developers began to reimagine it. Twenty years later, it has become a gorgeous ecological hub and central greenspace amid the vast jungle of Tel Aviv and surrounding areas in Gush Dan. The park is an inspiration to the world, demonstrating Israel’s leadership and unwavering commitment to sustainability.

Rather than destroying the land with rockets and missiles, we can plant trees and give back to our planet. If we destroy the promised land, there will be nothing left to fight over.

- Write On 19'